ICED CUCUMBER SOUP

Hello soup lovers! It's Sunday and I have decided to make soup a weekly thing, so from now on we'll be having Soup Sunday! Homemade soups are totally delicious and utterly versatile. A chilled soup will make for a simple, Cook ahead starter for any dinner or lunch party. You can use chicken stock to make this soup but vegetable stock makes it great for vegetarians and even vegans, skip the buffer too and use coconut oil or olive oil. A quick tip when it comes to stocks especially homemade ones is to freeze in ice cube trays then once frozen solid you can pack the cubes in freezer bags. Then dilute them in water before using. That way you always have stock in hand to make your soups. Since this is a chilled soup, you can pour into a rigid plastic container, leaving head room for expansion, then label and freeze. To serve warm, just reheat, stirring frequently until heated through. 

CUCUMBER SALAD WITH LEMON HONEY DRESSING

Hey Lovelies,
Ever eaten a salad that you could eat all day everyday? No? Well you should try my cucumber salad with lemon honey dressing! It beats all other salads that I have had so far. Its got crunch, its got spice, its got tangyness, its got sweetness, the best part is that its filled with freshness and all the earthy flavours of fresh vegetables. The lemon honey dressing does more than just intensify the flavours, it infuses its own kind of glory.If there was a perfect match made on this earth, it would be this cucumber salad and this lemon honey dressing. This is a great way to get everyone to enjoy and eat their salad. Serve with grilled food to balance out the flavours or as a side to your dinners, better still you can even eat it on its own like I almost did lol!

CITRUS CUCUMBER WATER

It's thirsty Thursday. Thirsty yet? Well, today I won't be boozing you up. I want you to be healthy so I'll share with you fruit infused water. Fruit infused waters are hydrating, healthy and homemade. Which means that you can combine the fruit infused water with your favorite combinations. When it comes to this drink, you can infuse your water with any number of spice, vegetables, fruits, herbs and even edible flowers. Herbs include Parsely, Rosemary, Cilantro, Thyme, Basil and Mint. For Spices you can use Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon Sticks, Garlic cloves, Cardamon Pods and fresh Ginger. Edible flowers go for Violets, Rose, Pansies, Lavender, Hibiscus and Citrus Blossoms. Fruits are Berries (can be fresh or frozen), Pears, Melon, Apples, Citrus fruits and Tropical Fruits. The best Vegetables to infuse in water are Carrots, Cucumber, Fennel and Celery. Use filtered water but if it isn't available use clean tap water.You can peel the fruits and vegetables or leave them on and avoid fruits that are too ripe or bruised, and don't use herbs that are withered or not fresh. The flavour of the fruits and vegetables will infuse more quickly with the water if you use small cubes or thin slices. Citrus fruits infuse pretty instant, Herbs take a longer time to infuse while the Berries take the longest and may even release color into the water. When infusing your water with the fruits, spices, herbs, vegetables and edible flowers, let the water sit for a few hours to allow all the flavours infuse completely. Stay hydrated and live healthy with fruit infused water that will make drinking water something that you look foward to instead of a chore that you must do. Looking foward to making more of these flavored drinks. Have you made fruit infused water and which is your favorite?

CUCUMBER MINT RAITA

I'm making more dips and today it's Raita. Raita is a condiment from the Indian subcontinent, made with dahi (yogurt, often referred to as curd) together with raw or cooked vegetables. The main ingredients are Yogurt, buttermilk, cucumber, and mint. Raita has a cooling effect to contrast with spicy curries and kebabs that are the main fare of some Asian cuisines. In Indian cuisine, some type of flatbread may be eaten together with raita, chutneys and pickles.The yogurt may be seasoned with coriander, roasted cumin seeds; mint, cayenne pepper, chaat masala and other herbs and spices. So you can make your Raita as spicy as you want or plain. Dips are great for snacks like Chips/Crisps, Fresh Vegetables and even Indian flat bread. This minty sauce with a creamy yogurt base is a classic Indian side. Cumin and black mustard are fried. This tempering is then mixed with minced, raw vegetables or fruits (such as cucumber, onion, carrot, pineapple, papaya) and yogurt.  Raw ginger and garlic paste, green chili paste, and sometimes mustard paste are used to enrich flavor. Raitas can be prepared with three main base ingredients: vegetables, pulses and fruits. These are mixed with yogurt and flavoured with a variety of seasonings to make different types of raita. There are various variations to the Raita. Vegetable Raitas are: Tomato onion raita, Cucumber raita, Carrot raita, Pumpkin raita, Potato raita, Mint and peanut raita, Spinach raita, Horned melon raita, Beetroot raita, Calabash raita (Bottle Gourd raita), Brinjal raita. There are also Pulse raitas which are: Sprouted green gram raita, Boondi raita, Bhujia sev raita. Finally Fruit Raitas: Banana raita, Mango raita, Guava raita, Grape raita, Pineapple raita, and Pomegranate raita. Raita is served as a side dish to be eaten with main course dishes. Some of the dishes that you can have with Raita are Biryani, Pulav (pilaf), Seekh kabab and Paratha- Indian dishes. Raita can even be enjoyed as a Sauce or dressing though it is not the original traditional way of having it. Serve this minty goodness with some Ugali Fries. Yum!